THE PLASTIC WASTE IN MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

A turtle tries to eat a plastic cup: consumer items such as food containers make up the largest

share of litter origins, the study found. Photograph: Paulo Oliveira/Alamy Stock Photo (The

Guardian, 2021)

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE & PICTURE 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3
INTRODUCTION 3-4
THE EFFECTS OF PLASTIC WASTE ON THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM 4-5
THE ACTIVITIES FOR PREVENTION OF PLASTIC WASTE 5-7
CONCLUSION 7-8
REFERENCES 9-10

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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Plastics, which are found in many products globally, appear in every moment of life

with the advantage they provide. Plastics' comfort in daily life has turned human beings into

plastic addicts. Unfortunately, human beings have created excessive amounts of plastic waste,

which would not cause too many problems in the environment if the trash were collected and

managed correctly after using plastics. They have distributed them carelessly to the

environment. In addition, there are catastrophic damages to the environment and ecological

systems due to the extinction times of plastic wastes in nature and their excessive

consumption. Plastic wastes create aesthetic pollution in nature, break down into smaller

particles and become more harmful to the environment and living things for many years. A

plastic that has broken down to a micron size can easily scatter everywhere, mix with water

resources, and be swallowed by aquatic creatures. For these reasons, it is essential to ensure

effective and environmentally friendly waste management with all stakeholders, which can

stimulate social awareness with holistic and sustainable approaches that adopt zero waste

generation as much as possible to prevent plastic waste.

INTRODUCTION

It is known that plastic garbage, which is left or spilt without thinking about the

environment, can be transported to the deep ocean surfaces and even to the bottom of the

ocean thanks to precipitation and flows in nature (Peng et al., 2020), creating a giant plastic

garbage dump in the middle of eddy currents in the oceans (Eriksen et al., 2014). Scientists

think that very little of the used plastics are recycled, the world is rapidly turning towards a

plastic planet, and if precautions are not taken, especially about the use of disposable

products, even the geological rocks in the world will consist of petrified plastic layers in the

long run (Zalasiewicz et al., 2016). The amount of plastic waste in the environment and water

is increasing day by day. And this rapid increase is preventing the self-repairing speed of

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nature. In particular, both internal and external waters have started to give a danger alarm to

the creatures living in them (Eriksen et al., 2014).

Thus, human beings responsible for all these wastes have started to realize that

preventive measures must be taken. Because it is people who pollute the environment, not

plastics. Plastic waste; The fact that they are light, polymeric structures, easy to configure,

easy to contain toxic substances, and their rapid dispersal reveals the extent of the danger. In

this context, the damage caused by plastic wastes to marine ecosystems and living things and

the efforts to prevent these damages will be discussed in the report from an innovative

perspective (Eriksen et al., 2014).

THE EFFECTS OF PLASTIC WASTE ON THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM

Plastic garbage accumulated in the oceans causes severe environmental problems with

mechanical erosion and chemical erosion in the seas (Ritchie & Roser, 2018). The raw

materials of most of the plastics produced are fossil materials such as petroleum and coal.

Since plastics are made from fossil fuels, millions of barrels of crude oil and tons of coal must

be processed for their production (Ritchie & Roser, 2018). Today, it is stated that 4% of crude

oil is used for plastic production (MacLeod et al., 2021). Plastic wastes left to the

environment by people harm the environment. People and the plastic scraps left to nature

reach the seas with the drag of the winds, negatively affecting the creatures living in the sea

and the wild animals that feed these creatures. Plastics accumulating on the coasts and in the

seas are consumed by sea creatures as if they were food, and this situation causes problems

such as digestion, excretion and reproduction in these creatures (MacLeod et al., 2021).

When other creatures, such as sea creatures, take the microplastic parts into their body,

problems in digestion, excretion, reproduction and growth processes (Haward, 2018). Waste

plastic parts are routinely found in the stomachs of dead fish, turtles and marine mammals.

Research results showed that most of all seabird species and all sea turtle species have plastic
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in their stomachs. One of the essential food sources of animals other than domestic animals is

sea creatures (Haward, 2018). Therefore, microplastics that enter the body of sea creatures are

also dangerous for other animals. Today, the most obvious threat of plastic pollution is

especially effective on the marine wildlife ecosystem. Plastic litter and microplastics

circulating in the oceans for years have reduced the restorative effect of the oceans.

In a study of seabirds, the increase in the amount of plastic in their bodies has been a

cause for concern. Study results showed that more than 2000 seabirds had plastic in their

bodies. Because of their odour, seabirds and fish may mistake plastic for food and swallow

them. Ingestion of plastic by seabirds causes toxic chemicals to mix with their bodies and

cause their death (Ryan, 2008). The result of the autopsy, which was carried out after a dead

whale washed ashore in 2013, was appalling. It was observed that the whale dived 2000

meters to find food and searched for an octopus in the depths of the sea but swallowed plastic

bags because it could not distinguish between the plastic wastes covering the seafloor and the

octopus. As a result of the autopsy, 20 meters of plastic bags were found in the whale's

stomach (Im, 2020).

THE ACTIVITIES FOR THE PREVENTION OF PLASTIC WASTE

It is clear that the demands of individuals have an effect on the widespread use of

plastics. That's why people are the ones who will prevent this plastic pollution. For this,

people need to be educated and conscious about the harms of plastics. One of the measures to

be taken to reduce plastic pollution is to make the use of plastic bags chargeable. In recent

years, "awareness" about the damage caused by plastics to the environment has started to

increase globally. Many international organizations worldwide come together and work on the

environmental damage of plastic garbage and their solutions. Some countries are trying to

deter people from using plastic bags by making single-use plastic bags for a fee, making

business owners who offer free bags to their customers pay fines.

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 Pricing plastic bags alone is not enough to combat plastic pollution, and the use of

plastics and derivatives in other areas should be reduced (Haward, 2018). There are plenty of

micro-particles in cosmetic products (peeling, facial cleansing gels, etc.) and toothpastes used

every day in daily life. As a precaution, banning cosmetic products containing micro-plastic is

on the agenda (Ritchie & Roser, 2018). With the prohibition of the production of microbeads

in the United States, other developed countries such as England, Canada and Australia took

action. In 2018, microbeads added to cosmetics were banned in almost all European countries

(MacLeod et al., 2021).

As can be seen, various regulations are being made regarding the increasing plastic

waste problem worldwide. The pollution caused by the growing plastic wastes due to the

growing plastic production reveals the necessity of eliminating these wastes (Haward, 2018).

This has led to the problem of storing or removing hazardous/plastic waste, and this situation

has led to the search for suitable places where hazardous/plastic trash can be discharged

(Haward, 2018). This situation makes waste trade widespread in underdeveloped or

developing countries. In this process, obligations also fall on the private sector in the ideals.

Adidas is one of the best examples of these. The project of transforming plastic pollution in

the seas into clothing, initiated by Adidas in 2015 in cooperation with Parley for the Oceans,

is one of the best examples of this process (Moorhouse & Moorhouse, 2017).

One of the solutions to reduce plastic pollution is recycling. It is stated that between

500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year (MacLeod et al., 2021).

But even more sadly, plastic recycling rates have not reached the desired level. According to

researches, approximately 90% of plastics consumed worldwide are not recycled (MacLeod et

al., 2021). For recycling, industrial wastes should be reprocessed, and similar processes

should be made suitable for secondary uses of plastic waste (MacLeod et al., 2021).

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 In short, people, animals and the environment need to eliminate the harmful effects of

plastic waste. Otherwise, more significant environmental damage and more dangerous

diseases await Carney (Almroth & Eggert, 2019). To protect the citizens from the

environmental damage of plastic waste by raising awareness, educational programs that show

the harm of plastic waste in schools should be developed, and local governments, the media,

non-governmental organizations and citizens should fight against plastic pollution together

(Haward, 2018).

CONCLUSION

As a result, the plastics, which are used in almost all areas of social life, have begun to

be harmful to humans, animals and other living things, in short, all environmental elements,

due to their dividing into microscopic particles. Since it is not possible to separate the

microparticles in detergents and other cleaning materials in water, they pose a danger to the

creatures in the rivers, lakes and seas where they are mixed. Most of these enter the body of

humans and other living things due to the food ring and cause various health problems. After

the second half of the 20th century, a disposable habit developed with the consumption

society that developed depending on the increase in income and the high level of welfare.

Plastic is the most used material in the disposable habit developed significantly in the

ready-to-eat food industry. In this way, plastics are thrown into the garbage, empty spaces and

streams reach the seas and oceans and turn them into plastic garbage. Plastic waste, which

takes a very long time to disappear in nature, has caused severe environmental problems by

threatening the living life in the seas and oceans. In fact, according to experts, if our world

continues to be polluted with plastic waste. In this way, it is estimated that there will be more

plastic waste in the seas than fish in 2050. The unconscious and irresponsible behaviour of

people causes plastic waste, which threatens the world and environmental values so much. For

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this, people need to act responsibly and consciously when using, consuming and discarding

plastics.

In addition, companies must release plastic into the environment while using and

discarding it to do not harm the environment. For this, instead of using plastics by companies

and individuals, bioplastics, which are obtained from plants and do not harm the environment,

should be encouraged. To reduce the use of plastic and the amount of plastic waste, which are

increasing environmental damage day by day; The harms of plastic use in schools and the

ways and methods of reducing its use should be included in the curriculum and explained to

students, and awareness of responsibility in people should be developed at an early age. The

use of plastic bags in markets and grocery stores should be limited, and the use of plastic bags

should be banned if necessary. The use of harmful plastic in cleaning products and personal

care products should be limited and banned if necessary. For this, state and local governments

should make strict inspections during the production of plastic products and derivatives. The

adverse effects of plastic use on human health and environmental damage should be

frequently explained in the printed and visual media, both in government institutions and

private sector organizations.

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